This invention relates to motor control. More particularly, the invention relates to control of variable speed drives for compressor motors.
In refrigeration applications, a compressor is used to compress a working fluid (the refrigerant) from initial (suction) conditions to compressed (discharge) conditions. The initial conditions are characterized by a saturated suction temperature (SST) and the discharge conditions are characterized by a saturated discharge temperature (SDT). For a given refrigerant, the compressor (exclusive of the motor powering it) will have a performance envelope dictated by a variety of considerations including efficiency and reliability. This envelope may be approximated by a three dimensional space whose dimensions are SST, SDT, and a third dimension (e.g., a compressor speed or a power parameter) indicative of an output in view of the other two dimensions. Considerations involving the motor and other components will further restrict the system operating envelope within the compressor operating envelope.
An exemplary compressor is powered by a hermetic motor which is, in turn, powered by a variable speed drive (VSD). The VSD supplies a modulated alternating current output having a characteristic output voltage and output frequency. The VSD receives power from a power supply (e.g., 460 VAC, 60 Hz). In a basic VSD, the relationship between output voltage and output frequency is substantially fixed and approximately linear. With such a basic VSD and hermetic motor, the motor speed is a substantially fixed and approximately linear function of drive frequency. In the absence of a variable ratio transmission, the ratio of motor speed to compressor speed will be fixed and may be a simple 1:1 ratio.
The torque required by the compressor (and thus supplied by the motor) will essentially be a function of SDT and SST and will essentially be independent of the third compressor performance envelope parameter. In the basic operation, at given SST and SDT, the motor and compressor speed will be determined by the load (e.g., the air conditioning load). A given motor speed is associated with a proportional frequency position on the drive's fixed voltage/frequency curve (line). At a given point on the voltage/frequency curve, however, the current draw of the drive will accordingly be determined by the SST and SDT values. For example, at a given voltage and frequency, if the SDT were to increase suddenly, the torque would increase at a given speed thus necessitating a power increase from the VSD and, accordingly, a current increase.
Certain VSD's permit selection of the voltage/frequency relationship. These are typically preset when the drive is associated with its motor for a given application.
Operating efficiency has long been a concern in compressor/air conditioning system design.